New Personal Best Togue and Interesting Event

[Joser06]

Well today went jigging for togue again and while the jig fishing was very slow, I managed a new personal best at 23.5 inches on the jigrod. Also landed two more togue at 17 and 20 in and a 12 or so inch salmon. My buddy I was fishing with caught a very nice 19 inch hooked jawed male salmon. A very interesting thing that happened to me today was that I had a trap set up for salmon in 6 feet of water. The trap went off and I went over to it and the spool wasn't spinning but the line was moving around in a half circle. I gave it a minute and tried to set the hook but I missed the fish. I pull the line up to the hole and I still had my bait. My buddy yell that I should get the bait right back down and as he said that a small salmon and a brook trout nose right up to the hole and I get a good look at them. I drop the bait back down and after jigging the dead smelt for 15 seconds hook up with the small salmon. I release that and get the bait back down and jig the dead smelt for about a minute when the 20 in togue absolutely inhales the bait. Pretty surprised to see the togue hit a smelt at three feet in 6 feet of water. I also caught the big togue jigging in 14 feet of water. I saw much more activity on the marcum in shallow water than in anything over 20 feet. I also figure with the salmon, brookie and the togue in the shallow water like that, they must have been chasing smelts around. This ever happen to anyone?


Pretty thin fish only had 8 smelts in its gut

[Sinnian]

Great job Joser!!!  You have had several interesting stories this year 

Any pics?

[oletimer]

We have noticed alot of lakers in shallower water this year. Also catching them 10-15' down in deeper water.
not sure why??
Awesome day it sounds like, your on fire with the jig rod for sure.

[Joser06]

Great job Joser!!!  You have had several interesting stories this year  

Any pics?

Hit tab and enter by mistake, had to modify, picture is up now

We have noticed alot of lakers in shallower water this year. Also catching them 10-15' down in deeper water.
not sure why??
Awesome day it sounds like, your on fire with the jig rod for sure.

Oh I meant 14 feet from ice to bottom

[JDK]

Nice togue.  You are having a great year.

My youngest son caught his personal best (13 lb) in less than 20 feet of water and I had a 9 pounder last year in less than 3 feet of water while fishing for brookies.  You never know.

 

[blacktrap]

Nice fish.  Togue go where the food is.  Jigging in shallow is a lot of fun sometimes. 

[fshnfanatic]

New to Ice Shanty...I have been lurking for a couple of weeks in the archives.  Live in Revere and fish all over..Also have a buddy with a camp in Burnham...so we probably hit alot of the same spots.  You asked about lakers in shallow water..2 years ago I landed a 36" on a salmon set in 10 feet of water on a smelt just below the ice at (related post) Sebec lake.  If I can figure how to post picks on this I'll put up a pick.  How's the fishing been at Unity Pond we usually hit that place beginning of March with mixed success.

[Joser06]

New to Ice Shanty...I have been lurking for a couple of weeks in the archives.  Live in Revere and fish all over..Also have a buddy with a camp in Burnham...so we probably hit alot of the same spots.  You asked about lakers in shallow water..2 years ago I landed a 36" on a salmon set in 10 feet of water on a smelt just below the ice at (related post) Sebec lake.  If I can figure how to post picks on this I'll put up a pick.  How's the fishing been at Unity Pond we usually hit that place beginning of March with mixed success.

I haven't any idea, I rarely fish that lake anymore. Too many perch and pickerel and not enough trout that bite.

[fshnfanatic]

36" 18 1/2lbs aprox.

[MGK]

Nice togue! Like JDK said you never know.

[dreamcatcher310]

WOW.. great fish man!! Where bouts on Sebec Lake?

[EASTGRANDEST]

Well three weeks ago at Moosehead all in the same hole in 10 FOW I caught a nice togue, then flag went back up, and I caught a yellow perch LOL, then flag goes back up and I caught a small salmon, then a few more yellows all out of the same hole, fishing on bottom in 10 FOW.

[dreamcatcher310]

haha variety is the spice of life! shiners or smelts??

[MEhunter]

nice fish guys!  I've seen a bunch of nice togue caught in real shallow water.  Not one quite as nice as fshnfanatic's, but some good ones!

[EASTGRANDEST]

smelts.

[jacksmelt71]

my biggest togue came out of 16ft. of water set just under the ice. 37 1/2in. they go where the feed is which is usually the smelts.

[LostOne]

Well today went jigging for togue again and while the jig fishing was very slow, I managed a new personal best at 23.5 inches on the jigrod. Also landed two more togue at 17 and 20 in and a 12 or so inch salmon. My buddy I was fishing with caught a very nice 19 inch hooked jawed male salmon. A very interesting thing that happened to me today was that I had a trap set up for salmon in 6 feet of water. The trap went off and I went over to it and the spool wasn't spinning but the line was moving around in a half circle. I gave it a minute and tried to set the hook but I missed the fish. I pull the line up to the hole and I still had my bait. My buddy yell that I should get the bait right back down and as he said that a small salmon and a brook trout nose right up to the hole and I get a good look at them. I drop the bait back down and after jigging the dead smelt for 15 seconds hook up with the small salmon. I release that and get the bait back down and jig the dead smelt for about a minute when the 20 in togue absolutely inhales the bait. Pretty surprised to see the togue hit a smelt at three feet in 6 feet of water. I also caught the big togue jigging in 14 feet of water. I saw much more activity on the marcum in shallow water than in anything over 20 feet. I also figure with the salmon, brookie and the togue in the shallow water like that, they must have been chasing smelts around. This ever happen to anyone?

[/b][/i][/u]

...I wish.

[JDK]

The day my son caught his 13 pounder, we had 6 other fish between 8 and 11 pounds.  Every single one of them were caught in water less than 20 feet just under the ice but they were on a steep drop-off.  I figured they had the smelt pushed up on that shelf.  We also dropped 2 fish that we fought for over 20 minutes and never got close to the hole.  Would have liked to have seen those.

[gamefisher]

Great fish everyone.  I think people fish too deep in general and couldn't agree more with you all about the theories of fish keying on the bait.  We just got back from a couple days Downeast salmon fishing where we burnt through 5 doz. smelt with relative ease.  The salmon were all caught in 8' - 16' fow anywhere from 3'-6' under the ice.  All traps over deeper water but under the ice produced zero fish.